acting up
Not working right
Acting up describes misbehavior or malfunction.
Children act up when they're difficult or defiant: The kids were acting up all afternoon.
Machines and body parts act up when they work poorly: My knee is acting up again, The car's been acting up lately.
The phrase suggests recurring trouble rather than complete failure.
Uncontrolled display of frustration
- naughtyMildly disobedient
- mischiefPlayful troublesome behavior
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- pranksPlayful mischievous acts
shenanigans · rowdy · boisterous · unruly · disorderly · willful · wayward · impish
Minor system fault
- faultyHaving defects or errors
- defectiveHaving inherent faults
- buggyHorse-drawn cart
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
unreliable · failing · crash · freeze · hiccup · short-circuit · overheating · stuttering
Openly resisting control
- insubordinateDefying rightful authority
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- rebelliousResisting authority or control
- mutinousDisposed to revolt
resistant · disobedient · contrary · noncompliant · obstinate · headstrong · unmanageable · refractory
Return to former illness
- worseningBecoming more severe
- aggravatedIntensified or vexed
- inflamedProvoked or medically irritated
- irritatedSlightly angered or bothered
exacerbated · recurring · triggered · symptomatic · chronic · episode · outbreak · flare-up
tantrum
Uncontrolled display of frustration
pranks · shenanigans · rowdy · boisterous · unruly · disorderly · willful · wayward · impish · cheeky
glitch
Minor system fault
erratic · unreliable · failing · crash · freeze · hiccup · short-circuit · overheating · stuttering · sputtering
defiant
Openly resisting control
- insubordinateDefying rightful authority
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- rebelliousResisting authority or control
mutinous · resistant · disobedient · contrary · noncompliant · obstinate · headstrong · unmanageable · refractory · contumacious
relapse
Return to former illness
- worseningBecoming more severe
- aggravatedIntensified or vexed
- inflamedProvoked or medically irritated
irritated · exacerbated · recurring · triggered · symptomatic · chronic · episode · outbreak · flare-up · painful
- malfunctionsbroken, defective, glitch, faulty, error
- misbehaviormisbehave, misbehavior, mischief, misconduct, naughty
- mischiefmischief, hijinks, antics, pranks, antic
- nonfunctionalbroken, malfunctioning, inoperative, out of order, nonfunctional
- slang behaviorsgoofing off, messing around, fooling around, horsing around, slacking
- tomfoolerysilliness, foolery, clownery, clownishness, goofing off
acting upbehaving
Acting in acceptable ways
minding · obeying · cooperating · toeing the line · settling down
act, actor, acting, react, acts, reaction, acted, actors, interact